My anxiety and depression diagnoses serve a valuable purpose. — In 2014, I was in a dark place in my life. I blamed my anxiety and depression on the “quarter-life crisis.” But really, that was just my attempt to wish away my mood disorders. …

When hope dims, affirmations rekindle the flame. Here are my six favorite affirmations. Exerting effort at anything and not seeing positive results can be discouraging, I learned this after job rejections, friendship losses, breakups, poor grades, and failure to meet personal goals. Perhaps you’ve had some of these experiences, too. …

Although mental health stigma has declined over the last year, it is still a major issue. Here are some ideas on how to recognize and reduce it. Mental health stigma affects how we perceive psychiatric disorders. It also affects self-esteem and progress in mental health treatment. …

Memories with my first best friend and her family — Last week, Christine Graves asked writers to talk about their first best friend. For this story, I will talk about my first best friend, Brooke, and her family. Note: All names have been fictionalized for confidentiality. In the 1990s, my neighborhood was full of active children and young families. From…

A childhood hobby became my current therapy. — In 2015, adult coloring was a huge trend! At the time, I thought, Why are all these adults coloring? It’s so childish! But when a friend constantly talked about how coloring reduced her anxiety, I decided to give it a try. At first, my patience only allowed me to color…

While eating dinner at Culver’s, my best friend and I did a devotional on the YouVersion app. During our conversation, an older man in a…

Progress is more important than perfection. — During my freshman year of college, my English professor assigned the class to read a book called This, I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. For this story, I wrote a list of my current beliefs. I believe… Everyone is on their own journey. Some stress helps…

A script with inappropriate and professional interactions — A few weeks ago, EyeingAI published a story with writing prompts about customer service. One writing prompt that captured my attention was… “How can you de-escalate a tense situation with a customer who is angry or frustrated about [shipping delays/product defects/service issues]?” I’m sure that many people who have been…

On Mother’s Day a few years ago, I was having lunch with my mother. The waiter passed out flowers to every woman and wished them a “Happy Mother’s Day.” That memory hit me yesterday, and it sent a rush of thoughts through my mind. …